


Give Me Silence and I'll Give You a Date

by Cumberbatch Critter (ivelostmyspectacles)



Category: Houdini & Doyle (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Office, F/M, Flirting, Gen, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 05:34:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7562350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/Cumberbatch%20Critter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Houdini is the newest employee at Adelaide Stratton's office - and he happens to be the most annoying, brash, impolite, ridiculous(ly gorgeous) co-worker she has.</p><p>He also works in the cubicle across from her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Give Me Silence and I'll Give You a Date

**Author's Note:**

> Found this prompt on Tumblr: **we work in the same office and you have a squeaky chair and you wont fucking stop squeaking it because you know it annoys me** from [here](http://www.nerds-are-cool.tumblr.com/post/133544218971) and I couldn't stop thinking of them in a Modern Setting so this happened??? This Modern AU is getting away from me in my head... there may be more...
> 
> I do not own _Houdini and Doyle_. Thanks for reading!

Adelaide Stratton was a patient woman. She had to be, with a boss determined to find fault in every performance of hers - thank you, Merring - and co-workers who were just as much intrigued by the idea of getting her out of the office. It wasn't _her_ fault that the rest of them were... what was the word... morons. She would never say that out loud. She was far too polite.

Right?

She snorted softly, shoving her pen behind her ear. Where was that email? How was she supposed to print a draft if no one was sending her the email? "Can't do my job until you do yours," she muttered, and leaned back in her chair with a sigh. Desk duty was not for her. How had she ended up with this job? Oh, right. The supervisor at the other job she'd interviewed for was a misogynistic pig.

Ugh.

_Squeak squeak squeak._

Oh, _God_. No. Not this. Not this _again_ , not today.

_Squeak squeak squeak._

She wanted to strangle this guy. She swore she did. She was going to do it.

_Squeak squeak squeak._

That was _enough_! Adelaide shoved away from her desk and drew herself up to full height, murder on her mind as she strode for the cubicle opposite her. She knew he would be waiting, grinning that _awful_ grin that simultaneously made her go a little weak at the knees (not that she would ever admit that).

Harry Houdini.

He was impossibly infuriating. He had worked in the cubicle opposite her for a whole month now. She wanted to say that she didn't know _how_ he had kept the job for even a month... but he was good. Adelaide almost hated to admit it.

They had also switched the chair in his cubicle, evidently, because Houdini now had an incessantly _squeaky_ chair. It drove Adelaide crazy. And Harry Houdini knew it.

Adelaide stopped in front of his cubicle, crossing her arms against her chest. "Houdini."

"Oh!" Houdini pushed away from the desk, spinning lazily around in the blasted chair. He stuck out his foot to stop himself and looked up at her like he hadn't expected to see her and yes, yes, he was wearing that stupid smile. "Addie! How great to see you!"

"My name is Adelaide," she replied crisply, "and I'll thank you to not squeak your chair."

"Oh," Houdini said, eyes widening almost comically. Adelaide had to stop herself from smiling. _Damn._ "I didn't notice. Was it squeaking?" he asked.

"Repeatedly."

"I didn't notice," Houdini said innocently. "I'll try to be more quiet. Just waiting for this _email_..." He dropped his head back against his shoulders, eyes raising heavenward. God, his neck- _no_ , Adelaide.

"Yes, I heard we'll be collaborating later," she said. "That'll certainly be... interesting."

"It'll be fun!" Houdini said. "Just you and me!"

"And the rest of our team," Adelaide said patiently.

"Oh yeah, them, too."

How did he manage to sound so offhand about everything? It was infuriating. Two days after she'd met him, he'd asked her if she was a virgin. A virgin! Two days after meeting her! And he'd asked it like he was asking after the weather. She had wanted to hit him. She hadn't. She hadn't given him the satisfaction. Just told him the answer: _"Hardly"_ , and walked away with him watching after her with that smirk. The smirk that she constantly wanted to slap off his face. (Or maybe kiss away. _No_.)

"I'll behave," Houdini continued, and held up his hands. "Scout's honor."

"You were a scout?"

Houdini beamed. "Why don't you go out to dinner with me and find out?"

 _Incorrigible._ Adelaide rolled her eyes. "No, thank you," she said politely. "I suppose I'll find out if you start squeaking it in a moment," she continued, and then turned to march back to her own desk.

She had only just sat down when the squeaking started again.

"Harry!" She slapped her hand against their shared partition, and the squeaking ceased.

"... Well, now it might be a tiny bit of a habit."

 _Yeah, right._ "You know what," she said, "if you can go a whole week without squeaking that chair, I'll go out to dinner with you." She was confident he wouldn't be able to _not_ fidget for a whole week, but she might get a couple days of quiet. At least.

Houdini was quiet for a long moment. And then, "You're on".

Again Adelaide was reduced to an eye roll. Whatever she might have said was distracted by the _ding!_ of an email coming through. Houdini must have gotten it at the same time, going by the little inhale and the shuffle of movement through the partition.

The sound of their banter gave way into silence.

　

　

And the silence continued the rest of the week. Houdini didn't squeak that damn chair once. Adelaide didn't know if she was impressed or disgusted. In the end, she settled on dry amusement, and told him that he could pick the restaurant.

 


End file.
